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Meet Lyndsey Thomas, founder of a new venture that champions the trade

Lyndsey Thomas, founder of new blog and travel club Girl About Travel, tells Abra Dunsby about the brand’s offering and teaming up with the trade

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Launching a travel-related business during a global pandemic might sound risky but Lyndsey Thomas, founder of the new Girl About Travel blog and its Travel Club, which allows members to book holidays through a travel agent, has proved that with the right product and industry knowledge it can be done.


Thomas grew Girl About Travel’s content and audience from another blog, Girl About Yorkshire, which she launched four years ago.


She decided to create Girl About Travel and its Travel Club to help "women to join a like-minded community of others who love to travel and who don’t want to go on a package holiday with their family”.


The Travel Club, which follows a membership model and was launched in September, offers its members access to insight from travel industry experts, bespoke itineraries and the chance to book holidays through the site’s resident travel agent, Kate Holroyd of Strawberry Holidays, who waives her booking fee for members.

Kate Holroyd is Girl About Travel's resident travel agent
Kate Holroyd is Girl About Travel's resident travel agent

Unique offering

“In a world of OTAs, I wanted to build a people- and purpose-driven travel brand,” explains Thomas, who has teamed up with tour operators including North America Travel Service so that Girl About Travel can white-label product and create bespoke packages based on members’ needs.


While Holroyd is currently the only agent onboard, Thomas hopes to work closely with her to create “a community of agents and independent tour operators that can facilitate the different needs and wants of members”.


She adds: “We have brought on an LGBT specialist and are now looking to bring on an LGBT-focused tour operator. We want to do the same for solo holidays and also offer trips for families who have children with special needs or dietary requirements.”


As well as offering members the chance to book holidays through an Atol-protected travel agent, Girl About Travel and its club enable members to seek advice from experts, which has proved especially useful since Covid-19 hit.


“We created a Facebook group earlier this year with 2,500 members and we’ve been answering their questions about travel restrictions and travel corridors. We’ve built up authority on there.”


Members can also ask Holroyd travel-related questions and join weekly live Q&As, with different tourist boards also on hand to answer questions via the site’s custom-built tech platform.

 

“There’s a different focus on the site each month – last month it was ski and snow and this month it’s Indian Ocean, and Kate creates a different itinerary each time that aligns with the subject,” explains Thomas


Feedback from the 55 members who have joined the club so far has been “tremendous” says Thomas. “People see a real need for this to help unravel travel and ease frustrations. We’re trusted and non-biased, which people really value.”


Offering a diverse offering also appeals to consumers and encourages them to join, she adds. “Members get a community, support and great content – we’re a one-stop shop, really.”


Members are already enquiring about holidays, too. “One member is speaking to Kate currently about booking a holiday to Greece. It’s a meaty booking, as she has a £10,000 budget.”

New opportunities

Thomas has worked on the brand tirelessly since its inception, taking out a bounceback loan earlier this year and working 17-hour days to get the venture off the ground. Though it’s been a challenge, Thomas is glad she did it. “I saw an opportunity and grabbed it by the horns,” she says.


To others considering launching a company or brand in this climate, Thomas recommends having a team in place to help support each other and share responsibilities. “I have three shareholders onboard, all with different areas of expertise and skillsets. That’s helped a lot.”


Thomas plans to put her experience as a former marketing agency-owner to good use, with yet another business venture in the pipeline. “I’m working on a marketing course to train up travel agents and make them digital-ready,” she explains.


While agents have suffered hugely during the pandemic, Thomas is positive that those who upskill and offer excellent customer service will “come out of this as the shining stars who championed the consumer”. She advises agents: “See everything as an opportunity – you’ll come out better off for it.”

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